Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Dr. M. Ravichandran Inaugurates Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory in Chennai

• Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory established by IITM Pune under Mission Mausam at SRMIST Ramapuram, Chennai, inaugurated 6 May 2026 by MoES Secretary Dr. M. Ravichandran.
• Houses ~15 instruments worth >₹60 crore tracking ~50 atmospheric parameters (aerosols, wind, temperature, weather patterns) — a city-scale lab for urban meteorology and air-quality science.
• Showcases the operational rollout of Mission Mausam through academia–government partnerships (IITM–SRMIST MoU) — directly examinable as a Prelims fact + GS-III "S&T / Disaster" hook.